Near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes and semiconductor lasers could benefit a variety of applications including night-vision displays, sensors and information-secured displays. Organic dyes ...can generate electroluminescence efficiently at visible wavelengths, but organic light-emitting diodes are still underperforming in the near-infrared region. Here, we report thermally activated delayed fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes that operate at near-infrared wavelengths with a maximum external quantum efficiency of nearly 10% using a boron difluoride curcuminoid derivative. As well as an effective upconversion from triplet to singlet excited states due to the non-adiabatic coupling effect, this donor–acceptor–donor compound also exhibits efficient amplified spontaneous emission. By controlling the polarity of the active medium, the maximum emission wavelength of the electroluminescence spectrum can be tuned from 700 to 780 nm. This study represents an important advance in near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes and the design of alternative molecular architectures for photonic applications based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence.
•Annual cooling load estimation process of modular data centers is refined.•Various air-side economizers and their operation algorithms are established.•Energy simulations of nine types of air-side ...economizer alternatives are conducted.•Indirect air-side economizers exhibit significant energy-saving potential.
With the recent development of the IT technology, the demand for data centers has significantly increased, and modular data centers have attracted considerable attention because of their excellent stability, scalability, and economic feasibility. This research quantitatively analyzed the applicability of various air-side economizers and their energy-saving potential in modular data centers. A detailed cooling load estimation process was established for modular data centers, and annual cooling energy simulations were carried out using various air-side economizers. The various air-side economizers yielded cooling coil load savings of 76–99% in comparison to conventional cooling systems in data centers, and the total cooling energy savings of the economizers ranged from 47.5% to 67.2%. Indirect air-side economizers with high-effectiveness heat exchangers were found to yield significant energy saving (63.6%) and have simple system configurations.
Parabens are commonly used as antimicrobial preservatives in consumer products. Because of their possible endocrine-disrupting activities, their safety has become a public concern. Although ...pharmacokinetic studies on parabens have been conducted in animals, limited information exists on their pharmacokinetic profiles in humans. In the present study, we determined the pharmacokinetic characteristics of propyl paraben (PP) in humans following a single oral administration of 0.6 mg/kg bw of deuterium labeled-PP. We also conducted experiment with similar design but different exposure amount (2.5 mg/kg bw) to verify the validity of the model to be developed. Blood and urine were collected at several intervals over the course of 48 h to measure levels of PP and its metabolites (conjugates and hydrolysates) in 12 male volunteers. The unconjugated parent compound (free PP), glucuronide and sulfate conjugates, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and p-hydroxyhippuric acid were measured using HPLC-MS/MS. It was found that PP was rapidly absorbed via ingestion within 2 h and quickly eliminated (terminal half-life, 2.9 h). The fraction of administered dose excreted in the urine was 0.05% for free PP, 8.6% for total PP (free + conjugates), 23.2% for p-hydroxyhippuric acid, and 7.0% for p-hydroxybenzoic acid. Utilizing this pharmacokinetic profile, we successfully constructed a multi-compartment model where the disposition of PP was well described with two compartments and that of its metabolites was explained with first-order reactions. The present pharmacokinetic model provides insights into the kinetic properties of the disposition of PP and its metabolites in humans, and it can be used for risk assessment with biomonitoring of PP.
•Pharmacokinetic of propyl paraben following oral administration was investigated for the first time in humans.•The unconjugated propyl paraben in urine is below 0.1% of the administered propyl paraben.•The urinary excretion factor for propyl paraben is 8.6 ± 1.4%.•The ADME for propyl paraben was well described by a two-compartment model.•Propyl paraben is rapidly absorbed (<2 h) and completely eliminated from the body.
Near-infrared (NIR) organic light-emitting devices have aroused increasing interest because of their potential applications such as information-secured displays, photodynamic therapy, and optical ...telecommunication. While thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters have been used in a variety of high-performance organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) emitting in the visible spectral range, efficient NIR TADF materials have been rarely reported. Herein, we designed and synthesized a novel solution-processable NIR TADF dimeric borondifluoride curcuminoid derivative with remarkable photophysical, electroluminescence and amplified spontaneous emission properties. This dye was specifically developed to shift the emission of borondifluoride curcuminoid moiety toward longer wavelengths in the NIR region while keeping a high photoluminescence quantum yield. The most efficient OLED fabricated in this study exhibits a maximum external quantum efficiency of 5.1% for a maximum emission wavelength of 758 nm, which ranks among the highest performance for NIR electroluminescence. In addition, this NIR TADF emitter in doped thin films displays amplified spontaneous emission above 800 nm with a threshold as low as 7.5 μJ/cm2, providing evidence that this material is suitable for the realization of high-performance NIR organic semiconductor lasers.
Photovoltaics are methods used to generate electricity by using solar cells, which convert natural energy from the sun. This generation makes use of unlimited natural energy. However, this generation ...is irregular because they depend on weather occurrences. For this reason, there is a need to improve their economic efficiency through accurate predictions and reducing their uncertainty. Most researches were conducted to predict photovoltaic generation with various machine learning and deep learning methods that have complicated structures and over-fitted performances. As improving the performance, this paper explores the probabilistic approach to improve the prediction of the photovoltaic rate of power output per hour. This research conducted a variable correlation analysis with output values and a specific EM algorithm (expectation and maximization) made from 6054 observations. A comparison was made between the performance of the EM algorithm with five different machine learning algorithms. The EM algorithm exhibited the best performance compared to other algorithms with an average of 0.75 accuracies. Notably, there is the benefit of performance, stability, the goodness of fit, lightness, and avoiding overfitting issues using the EM algorithm. According to the results, the EM algorithm improves photovoltaic power output prediction with simple weather forecasting services.
Epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) properties have been reported in organic molecular films. In particular, cyanine and squaraine films have been shown to exhibit ENZ properties in the visible spectral region ...with a strong 3
rd
order nonlinear optical response near the ENZ spectral region. Noting both cyanine and squaraine belong to the polymethine family, a series of six curcuminoid borondifluoride (Curc) derivatives were developed to examine whether such a polymethine character is positively correlated with the ENZ property of the organic films. Those Curc derivatives possess a Donor-Acceptor-Donor (D-A-D) architecture with acceptor, AcacBF
2
, located at the molecular center. The backbone of Curc is designed such that the donor strength can be tuned to transit between charge transfer (CT) and polymethine character. This balance between CT and polymethine character of the Curc series is examined based on the Lippert-Mataga plot. As donor strength in the D-A-D structure increases, CT character is less marked resulting in a more dominant polymethine character. The structural and optical properties of the Curc films with a thickness in the order of 30 nm were examined to correlate the polymethine character with the ENZ response. The results obtained in isotropic Curc thin films demonstrate that an increase of polymethine character associated with a stronger donor strength leads to an appearance/enhancement of the ENZ property in the visible spectrum range from 500 to 670 nm. Overall, this study provides useful guidelines to engineer new organic materials showing ENZ properties in a desired spectral range.
Epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) properties have been reported in organic molecular films.
Electroacupuncture has been reported to successfully control pain. Currently, no systematic reviews of the effects of electroacupuncture on frozen shoulder patients have been performed. This review ...aims to provide current evidence on the efficacy of electroacupuncture for the management of pain in frozen shoulder.
Eleven databases will be searched from their inception: PubMed, AMED, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, 6 Korean medical databases, and 1 Chinese medical database. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment will be performed independently by 2 researchers. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool.
Ethical approvals and patient consent are not required because the meta-analysis will be based on published research. This systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated both electronically and in print. The review will be updated to inform and guide health care practice and policy.
PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021247090.
With the rapid industrialization and urbanization, suburban areas have been developed to accommodate the sudden demand of the population. However, recent problems such as low fertility and aging ...induces urban shrinkage by reducing the urban population and the economy in old areas around the suburbs. As urban shrinkage causes inequality among residents in terms of the opportunities to access public services, the enhancement of the accessibility of public services is crucial to achieve inclusive growth. This paper proposes a framework for supplying public services based on the transit-oriented development (TOD) concept with geographic information system (GIS) analysis technique. A total of 24 indices, 4 criteria for 6 public services, are measured and weighted by the entropy method to find vulnerable residential buildings with a poor environment in Jung-nang district, Seoul. With a spatial analysis based on this weight value of residential buildings and the TOD concept, old commercial buildings are selected as candidate buildings for public services. According to the derived results, one candidate building as a public service can improve the environment of 3% to 8% of vulnerable residential buildings. The proposed decision-making methods can provide a valuable reference for selecting the location of public services by computational analysis with GIS.
Acupuncture (AT) successfully regulates overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. However, previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have not provided sufficient evidence. This review presents the ...current evidence of the efficacy of AT in the management of OAB symptoms.
A total of 12 databases were searched from their inception: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and AMED databases; five Korean medical databases; and three Chinese medical databases. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment were independently performed by two researchers. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. RevMan 5.4.1 software was used for data aggregation, and the Grades of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) assessment was used to evaluate the quality of the study outcomes.
A total of 30 studies were included in this review. Compared with the sham AT group, the AT group exhibited significant effects in reducing overactive bladder symptom scores (OABSS) mean difference (MD): -1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI): -2.01 to -0.26,
= 0.01
= 67% and urinary frequency standardized mean difference (SMD): -0.35, 95% CI: -0.62 to -0.08,
= 0%. The AT group showed an equivalent effect as drug therapy in reducing OABSS (MD: -0.39, 95% CI: - 1.92 to 1.13,
= 0.61,
= 94%) and urinary frequency (MD: 0.74, 95% CI: -0.00 to 1.48,
= 0.05,
= 71%) with fewer adverse events risk ratio (RR): 0.38, 95% CI: 0.16-0.92,
= 0.03, I
= 58%. The AT plus drug therapy group had a more favorable effect than drug therapy alone for reducing OABSS (MD: -2.28, 95% CI: -3.25 to -1.31,
< 0.00001,
= 84%) and urinary frequency (MD: -2.34, 95% CI: -3.29 to -1.38,
< 0.00001,
= 88%). The GRADE assessment demonstrated that the level of evidence was mostly low or very low given the high risk of bias and small sample sizes.
AT had more favorable effects than sham AT in reducing OAB symptoms. AT improved OAB symptoms as effectively as conventional drug therapy, and the combination of AT and drug therapy had more favorable effects than drug therapy alone. However, more rigorous studies are needed to enhance the level of evidence.
http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?ID=CRD42014010377, identifier: PROSPERO CRD42014010377.
Few systematic reviews have examined the effects of acupuncture on trigeminal neuralgia. This review aims to provide up-to-date evidence on the efficacy of acupuncture for managing pain in patients ...with trigeminal neuralgia.
Eleven databases were searched from inception until November 2022 for relevant articles Two researchers independently conducted study selection, data extraction, and evaluation. The present review solely targeted randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool 2.0 was employed to assess the risk of bias. Data were compiled using RevMan 5.4.1 software, and the quality of the evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.
Thirty studies involving 2295 patients were included in this review. Compared with carbamazepine, acupuncture led to improvements in pain scores (15 RCTs, mean difference (MD) - 1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI)-1.82 to −0.98 95% prediction interval, −3.137,0.343, p < 0.00001, low certainty of evidence (CoE)), response rates (29 RCTs, risk ratio (RR) 1.20, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.25 95% prediction interval, 1.067, 1.346, p < 0.00001, low CoE), frequency of pain attacks (2 RCTs, MD -2.53, 95% CI -4.11 to −0.96, P = 0.002, low CoE), and adverse effects (13 RCTs, risk difference (RD) −0.15, 95% CI -0.19 to −0.11 95% prediction interval, −0.193, −0.108, P < 0.00001, very low CoE).
Although the quality of evidence is low, compared with carbamazepine, acupuncture may improve trigeminal neuralgia-related pain. Further rigorously designed studies are warranted to confirm the effects of acupuncture on patients with trigeminal neuralgia.
•Thirty randomized controlled trials involving 2295 patients with trigeminal neuralgia were included in this review.•Acupuncture showed positive effects in reducing pain and frequency of attacks, and was relatively safe as compared to carbamazepine.•The level of evidence for the treatment effect, however, is low due to the substantial biases found in the included trials.
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